Alan Wilder and Omega Auctions 'presented'

COLLECTED - The Alan Wilder/Depeche Mode Collection

A historic equipment, vinyl & memorabilia auction

Depeche Mode fans 'couldn't get enough' as our Alan Wilder/Depeche Mode sale netted over £250,000 back in September 2011, with 99% of lots sold and bidders travelling from Canada, Russia and across Europe to take part.

Collectibles dated back to the 1980s and for aficionados of '80s synth pop, Alan Wilder needs no introduction. Between 1981-1995 the keyboardist and arranger helped revolutionise pop music as part of the electronic quartet Depeche Mode, and later in Recoil. His autograph was once so desired that it sparked a near-riot involving 20,000 people in LA.

Excitement brewed among Depeche Mode's worldwide fanbase in the run-up to the auction, and its results didn't disappoint. In the end, 417 of the 422 lots sold, equal to 99%, with 170 people in the saleroom and a further 570 online bidders from 33 countries.

In fact, 86% of the auction's total sales went to internet bidders. The auction surpassed its original estimated sale total to bring £223,205 (£256,000 including buyers' premium).

We were extremely pleased with the results of the sale and the fantastic feedback received from both those who attended the sale (in some cases having travelled from overseas) and those who bid online.

Despite the range of vintage synthesizers for sale, a vintage guitar was among the sale's big highlights. The Knight Gretsch Anniversary guitar was used by Wilder's band mate, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Martin Gore, for the group's blockbuster 'World Violation' and 'Devotional' tours. It appeared with a pre-sale estimate of £3,000-5,000. In the end, the lime green axe more than doubled this to bring £10,400 (£11,960 inc buyers premium).

Meanwhile, a highlight among the synthesizer lots was - perhaps unsurprisingly - an instrument whose provenance includes regular appearances in Depeche Mode's live concerts and records, an Emax Turbo II Model 2205 16 bit sampler keyboard. "What can one say about the Emulator range? Used so much on DM recordings and on stage between 1983 and 1994, they were probably the most versatile of samplers from the 1980s," commented Alan Wilder in the sampler's lot notes. "From the very first Emulator 1, I have used them all and been captivated by sampling technology ever since. I remember when we first inserted the huge floppy disc into the Emu 1 and listened to the 'Motorbike Idling' sound (which later became the mainstay rhythm behind the [Depeche Mode] song 'Stripped')."

The lucky buyer of this synth will now be able to hear that sound for themselves. The keyboard, sold with a set of discs, brought £6,400 (£7,360 including buyers' premium) - again more than double its £2,500-3,000 pre-sale estimate.

The majority of online bidders had never even participated in a live auction before so it was a great achievement for all those involved.